Parkes, Leonard Cecil (Civilian)

Killed in Flying Accident 1949-April-21

Civilian Leonard Cecil Parkes Civilian

Birth Date: 1902-April-20

Born: Yorkshire, England

Parents: Son of Charles Arthur Parkes and Alice Anne (nee Elliot) Parkes

Spouse:

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: 1940-April

Service

Civilian

Unit

412 (T) Sqn- Squadron
Promptus Ad Vindictam Swift to Avenge

Base

RCAF Station Rockcliffe

Rank

Civilian

Position

Passenger

Service Numbers

Home

Toronto, Ontario

Canadian passenger Leonard Cecil Parkes was an electronics and communications expert and a civilian RCAF employee at the time of his death. Parkes emigrated from England to Canada in 1916 but later went to the USA where he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, May 21, 1923. He worked in communications for four years in the USMC before returning to Canada in 1927. He had various civilian positions in communication at the Canadian Marconi Company and at radio stations in Toronto and Sudbury until he joined the RCAF in April 1940 and worked as an instructor at British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCATP) wireless training schools in Calgary, Alberta (No 2), Montreal, Quebec (No 3) and Guelph, Ontario (No 4). During his time at No 4 school in Guelph, he also would be gone for periods of time, revealed later as having been working at working at the "Secret" Special Training School No 103, Camp X on the "Hydra Wireless Installation". Camp X was situated between Oshawa and Whitby, Ontario

Leonard Cecil Parkes attained the rank of Squadron Leader before leaving the RCAF. After the war Parkes returned to working at a Toronto radio station before being called back to service with the RCAF as a civilian working on radio communications

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Crew or Other Personnel

Expeditor 1425

Wing Commander Beverley Heu-De-Burgh Beck RCAF

Wing Commander Beck, Beverley Heu-De-Burgh (RCAF)
Passenger
Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
Beechwood Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Leading Aircraftman John Thomas Cecil Cavanagh RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Cavanagh, John Thomas Cecil (RCAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Squadron Leader Frederick William Darnell RCAF

Squadron Leader Darnell, Frederick William (RCAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Wing Commander John Harry Drury RCAF

Wing Commander Drury, John Harry (RCAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Flying Officer Kenneth Hinde RCAF

Flying Officer Hinde, Kenneth (RCAF)
2nd Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Civilian Leonard Cecil Parkes Civilian

Civilian Parkes, Leonard Cecil (Civilian)
Passenger
Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
cemetery unknown

Flight Lieutenant Joseph Frank Thomas RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Thomas, Joseph Frank (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1949-April-21
Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Mission

Expeditor Mk. 3T 1425

Transport 1949-April-21 to 1949-April-21

412 (T) Sqn (RCAF) RCAF Station Rockcliffe

412 Squadron RCAF Station Rockcliffe. Known as the VIP Squadron, 412 Squadron transported dignitaries and "Very Important People". Expeditor aircraft 1425 departed RCAF Station Rockcliffe for a flight to RCAF Station Chatham and vanished with seven passengers and crew aboard. The wreckage of the aircraft and remains of the crew were not found until August 30,1955, in a heavily wooded area, some 65 miles west of Chatham, New Brunswick

Flight Lieutenant J F Thomas (RCAF), Flying Officer K Hinde (RCAF), Leading Aircraftman J T C Cavanagh (RCAF), Wing Commander B H Beck (RCAF), Wing Commander J H Drury (RCAF), Squadron Leader F W Darnell (RCAF) and civilian passenger L C Parkes were all killed in this flying accident

Expeditor 1425 was the last of 44 ordered by the RCAF, the surviving aircraft were converted to 3T military trainer configuration in 1952

unvetted Source Aviation Safety Network

Expeditor serial: 1425

(RCAF Photo) (Source Harold A Skaarup web page)
Beechcraft CT-128 Expeditor Mk. 3TM (Serial No. A-734), (Serial No. CA-134), RCAF (Serial No. 1534), coded AO-N, Air Transport Command.

The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969 (over 32 years, a world record at the time), over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger airliner on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it was also used as a military aircraft.

During and after World War II, over 4,500 Beech 18s were used in military service "“ as light transport, light bomber (for China), aircrew trainer (for bombing, navigation, and gunnery), photo-reconnaissance, and "mother ship" for target drones "“ including Royal Canadian Airforce (RCAF), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) C-45 Expeditor, AT-7 Navigator, and AT-11 Kansan; and United States Navy (USN) UC-45J Navigator, SNB-1 Kansan, and others. In World War II, over 90% of USAAF bombardiers and navigators and pilots trained in these aircraft.

In the early postwar era, the Beech 18 was the pre-eminent "business aircraft" and "feeder airliner". Besides carrying passengers, its civilian uses have included aerial spraying, sterile insect release, fish stocking, dry-ice cloud seeding, aerial firefighting, air-mail delivery, ambulance service, numerous movie productions, skydiving, freight, weapon- and drug-smuggling, engine testbed, skywriting, banner towing, and stunt aircraft. Wikipedia

YouTube Expeditor

Wikipedia Expeditor

unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Unit Desciption

412 (T) Sqn Promptus Ad Vindictam ("Falcon")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Spitfire Mks. IIA, VB, IXB, IXE, XVI, XIV)

The squadron was the tenth of the RCAF's squadrons to be formed overseas in WWII. It was the seventh fighter squadron to be so formed. It was established at Digby, Lincolnshire, England on June 30, 1941. John Gillespie Magee, the author of the famous aviation poem â€œHigh Flightâ€ was serving with 412 Squadron when he was killed in a mid-air collision in his Spitfire in 1941. The squadron flew Spitfire aircraft in the defence of Great Britain, formed part of the Canadian Kenley Wing within No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. It was re-equipped with the Spitfire lXb in November 1943 and began operating over northern France in preparation for operation Overlord, the D-Day landings. It was during late 1943 that the ace George â€œScrewballâ€ Beurling scored his last air victory while serving with the squadron. Shortly after D-Day, on June 19, 1944, the squadron moved to France in a fighter and ground support role. It then supported the Allied armies, moving through France, the Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. It was one of four RCAF day fighter units retained in Germany as part of the British Air Forces of Occupation before being disbanded at Utersen, Germany on March 21, 1946.

In the course of hostilities, the squadron flew 12,761 sorties for the loss of 63 aircraft and 62 pilots, of whom 21 were killed, 14 presumed dead, 11 POW. The squadron claimed 106 enemy aircraft destroyed, 11 probably destroyed and 46 damaged. On the ground, they claimed 282 motor vehicles and 22 locomotives. The squadron had 5 aces (shot down 5 or more enemy aircraft): Flight Lieutenant D.C. Laubman DFC & Bar; Flight Lieutenant W.J. Banks,DFC & Bar; Flying Officer D.R.C. Jamieson DFC & Bar; Flying Officer P.M. Charron; Flight Lieutenant R.I.A. Smith DFC. Overall, the squadron was awarded 7 Bars to DFC, 16 DFCs and 4 MiD. Battle Honours were: Defence of Britain 1941-44, Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin

Maps for Movements of 412 Squadron 1941-46

MAP 1: 412 Squadron Movements 1941-44 (right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab)

MAP 2: 412 Squadron Movements Detail of Map 1

MAP 3: 412 Squadron Movements in Europe 1944-46

412 Squadron History Summary 1941-46

412 Squadron History Summary 1941-46 Page 2

412 Squadron History Summary 1941-46 Page 3

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: CC-117 Falcon, CC-144 Challenger and CC-109 Cosmopolitan)

After the Second World War, Number 12 Communications Flight was reassigned as 412 Squadron on 1 April 1947, and renamed 412 (Composite) Squadron based at Rockcliffe, Ontario . In 1955, the squadron moved to Uplands, Ontario. Upon unification in 1968, 412 Squadron became the VIP squadron for the Canadian Forces based at CFB Uplands

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and flew the CC-117 Falcon, CC-144 Challenger and CC-109 Cosmopolitan. In the late 1970s a sub-unit was established at CFB Lahr in West Germany; this operation closed in 1993. In 1994, CFB Ottawa (Uplands) closed and 412's fleet was moved to a civilian hangar at Ottawa International Airport. All aircraft are maintained by Transport Canada on behalf of the Canadian Forces. Today, the Squadron performs the VIP and general transport duties with the CC-144 Challenger.

CASPIR Resources

External Resources

Parkes, Leonard Cecil (Civilian)

Killed in Flying Accident 1949-April-21

Home

Crew or Other Personnel

Expeditor 1425

Mission

Expeditor Mk. 3T 1425

Transport 1949-April-21 to 1949-April-21

412 (T) Sqn (RCAF) RCAF Station Rockcliffe

Expeditor serial: 1425

Unit Desciption

412 (T) Sqn Promptus Ad Vindictam ("Falcon")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Spitfire Mks. IIA, VB, IXB, IXE, XVI, XIV)

Maps for Movements of 412 Squadron 1941-46

412 Squadron History Summary 1941-46

412 Squadron History Summary 1941-46 Page 2

412 Squadron History Summary 1941-46 Page 3

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: CC-117 Falcon, CC-144 Challenger and CC-109 Cosmopolitan)

Specifications

Serial Groups